Safeguarding

UWC East Africa is committed to providing a safe, collaborative and caring environment for all.

Our highest priority is protecting the physical and mental health of all students in our care and this responsibility is shared by everybody. We demonstrate this through the operations of each campus, the recruitment of all adults working with/around the students in our care and the physical environment of each campus.

UWC EAST AFRICA Statement

Child abuse and neglect are concerns throughout the world. Child abuse and neglect are violations of a child’s human rights and are obstacles to the child’s education as well as to their physical, emotional, and spiritual development. UWC East Africa endorses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which our host country, Tanzania is a signatory. The school also recognizes the Tanzanian Child Protection regulations as stated in the “Law of the Child Act” 2009.

Schools fill a special institutional role in society as protectors of children. Schools need to insure that all children in their care are afforded a safe and secure environment in which to grow and develop, both at school and away. Educators, having the opportunity to observe and interact with children over time, are in a unique position to identify children who are in need of help and protection. As such, educators have a professional and ethical obligation to identify children who are in need of help and protection, and to take steps to insure that the child and family avail themselves of the services needed to remedy any situation that constitutes child abuse or neglect.

All staff employed at UWC East Africa must report suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect whenever the staff member has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered, or is at significant risk of suffering abuse or neglect. Reporting and follow up of all suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect will proceed in accordance with administrative regulations respective to this policy. Furthermore, cases of suspected child abuse or neglect may be reported to the appropriate employer, to the respective consulate in Tanzania to the appropriate child protection agency in the home country, and/or to local authorities.

UWC East Africa seeks to be a safe haven for students who may be experiencing abuse or neglect in any aspect of their lives. As such, UWCEA will distribute this policy annually to all parents and applicants, will communicate this policy annually to students, will provide training for all staff working at UWCEA and will make every effort to implement hiring practices to insure the safety of children, and will review the policy annually for compliance and effectiveness.

In the case of a staff member reported as an alleged offender, UWC East Africa will conduct a full investigation following a carefully designed course of due process, keeping the safety of the child at the highest priority.

Our full Safeguarding Policy is available to view here.

UWCEA is fully aligned with the UWC Common Standards for Safeguarding

Please take note that during times of Distance Learning, school policies still apply, particularly in terms of respectful and appropriate dress and interactions. We strongly recommend to parents/guardians that all video conferencing takes place in a common area of the home.

Contacts

If you wish to contact us concerning an issue regarding the safety of a child in the school, please contact one of our Safeguarding personnel:

UWC welcomes any member of the UWC community or other individuals who wish to report an experience of sexual misconduct, harm, abuse or neglect to do so at any time through the Safeguarding reporting mechanisms provided by UWC International.